


right next to you, where I belong

by ofstarsserene



Category: Miss Scarlet and the Duke (TV 2020)
Genre: F/M, but it should still be readable, heavily based on headcanons discussed on discord, proposal fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:34:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24985405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofstarsserene/pseuds/ofstarsserene
Summary: It’s been months since William started courting Eliza, and perhaps it’s time for a proposal – except it doesn’t go according to William’s perfectly calculated plan (a story that might take place in later seasons, who knows)
Relationships: Eliza Scarlet/William "Duke" Wellington
Comments: 14
Kudos: 128





	right next to you, where I belong

**Author's Note:**

> a fic inspired by various headcanons and discussions on the Eliza & William discord (in this one William travels to his hometown in Scotland to solve a very old case, i.e. his mother’s murder) – and I am especially grateful to the wonderful bygone-age, because a beach proposal was their idea ♥ Hope this fic makes sense without too much context lol

It’s finally over. His mother’s murder is solved, and William can breathe again. Perhaps those painful memories won’t haunt him as much as they used to. He stares at the sea in front of him, takes a deep breath of salty air. The sand is rough in his hands, and William remembers his childhood days, when he was running around chasing seagulls, teasing them and imitating their cries. He was happy back then. Infinite. Free.

“William?”

He looks up to see Eliza, follows her frame with his gaze as she plops next to him, not at all bothered about ruining her dress. 

“Are you alright?”

She looks at him with tender concern, and her hand is warm on his shoulder. William thinks she’s never been more beautiful than at this very moment.

“I will be. Thank you.”

She leans in to kiss him on the cheek, and William breathes in her perfume as her touch lingers.

“What are you going to do now?” she asks, and William is not entirely sure.

“I don’t know. I’ll just sit here, I guess.”

“Well, I’ll sit with you then. For as long as you need me.”

Eliza’s still here. She is not running away, no matter how much of a mess he is, no matter the things that she witnessed. He looks at her, and it’s so clear to him that she is the woman he wants to spend his whole life with. William’s known this for a while, and he’s been waiting for something (more courage? a perfect moment? some kind of a sign?), yet suddenly it’s never been simpler.

“Will you marry me?”

The words are out in the open, and there’s no chance of taking them back (and William doesn’t want to, because he’s been hers for so long that it only seems natural to ask). 

“What?”

He smiles at her, chuckles to himself because he’s never seen her more shocked, and he takes Eliza’s hand in his, while she is frozen in place. It’s time to make this happen.

“Eliza Scarlet, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

The world goes silent for a while… and then Eliza beams at him, and it’s a ‘yes’, loud and clear. William tastes her laughter on his tongue when she kisses him, and she fits in his arms so perfectly that his whole body is aglow with happiness.

…Until he remembers one tiny detail, and he breaks the kiss, because he has to explain to Eliza – his dearest, wonderful Eliza – that this was supposed to be different. Maybe he can still save this situation.

“Eliza, I forgot the ring!” William knows he is panicking, because of course he spent months trying to create a perfect ‘marry me’ scenario, and now he just blurts it all out _without the bloody ring_ , “Eliza, there _is_ a ring, I promise you, just wait till we get back to London, I –”

“William,” she interrupts him with a quick peck on the lips, “stop talking.”

“But it’s not proper –”

She kisses him again and again, on his lips, on his cheek, on his forehead, and William thinks that talking is overrated anyway (he suspects silencing him might have been Eliza’s intention all along, but he would be a fool to complain when she uses methods like these to achieve her goals).

“It’s perfect, William,” she gives him one more kiss, longer and sweeter this time, and then she smiles and ruffles his hair, and William thinks that maybe this proposal is not that much of a fiasco after all.


End file.
